Howzit! Elder Flexy!

Dear missionary Family,

This is just a short note to let you know that we have received Elder -- and he is awesome. He is tired from the long journey, but ready to enter his field of labor and we know he will change lives while here.  His trainer is Elder Martin, a South African and they are serving in the Durban North area

Stay well

President Von Stetten

Elder Flexy is there! 

He looks great. Although he does look a little tired to me. I feel so thankful that he has arrived safe and is ready to go to work. 

The church is true!!

Family History Friday (FHF): She really wanted to be baptized!

Mary Malden Peek 

was my 4th great grandmother. She was born in England. When she was just a young girl, she lived a life similar to other girls her age. 

One of her favorite things to do was sew. 

Another was to enjoy tea,

 when she was invited with her mother and some of the other ladies. While she was still quite young, her father died, leaving the family with not enough money to live on. Mary took jobs sewing to help with the family's income. One day their family met some missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "the Mormons", and they were touched by the things the missionaries said. 

Mary knew in her heart that what the elders were teaching her was true, and she wanted to be baptized. 

At the time this happened, there was some persecution happening to members of the church, as well as the missionaries. They had to meet in barns and other places that they might not regularly meet. Also, when someone wanted to get baptized, they would have to do it in secret. Mary wanted to be baptized so bad, she didn't want to wait until others were okay with it. So they made a plan. She would be baptized in the shed. They dug a hole and spent the whole day filling it with buckets of water till it was deep enough for her. That night, after dark, she was baptized. When I was baptized the water was clear and clean and warm. My family was there and it was safe and wonderful. Mary must have really wanted it, to go through all that. I'm not sure if she felt safe, but I'm pretty sure that water wasn't clean or clear or warm. She and her family later left England to come to Utah to be with other members of the church. Mary walked to the Great Salt Lake Valley. She married a good man, and lived a good life full of happiness. She never regretted her choice to join the church. I love her for all she went through, for her courage, drive and purpose.

Her life was full! 

Find one of your ancestors who was amazing and tell the story to your family!  Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

Two Cents! by T and G.

Kelsey puts G in the car 

to go home from being tended and 

says, "Bye G, Love you!"

G: "okay, but close the door. 

I'm getting cold!"

Howzit! Elder Flexy!

Elder Flexy 

left today for 

South Africa! 

He called me from the airport. He was so excited to be going. I asked him if he was nervous and he said, "No, just ready to go and work". I'm so glad he is ready. As parents, we have always encouraged, sometimes pushed, our kids to do things in their life. Things that we thought would be a good thing, a blessing and even a challenge. An experience that would help them be a better human, to learn and grow. It feels great to know he is wanting to go, and is even excited to do something in his life that will bless others and himself. He is a great son. All of our children are a blessing to us. It will take him about 22 hours to get to his mission. Wow! I put the Durban clock on the blog so we can all see what time it is for Elder Flexy! We will be praying for him, I hope you will too! Love, Joy

Happy Birthday Sweet Natasha!

My sweet grandbaby is 3 years old!

What a doll! And her personality is so fun! 

We will be just sitting together, and she will say, "I love you, Grandma". I'll say "I love you too!" Then I'll say, "Can I be your grandma forever?" and she'll say, "Mmm-hmm!" 
When you pick her up to snuggle and give her a skwish, she wraps her arms around your neck and pats your back. She is fun!! I am so glad to be her grandma. 
Happy Birthday
 Natasha! 

Sunday Best!

"When the seas of life are stormy, a wise

mariner seeks a port of peace. The family, as 

we have traditionally known it, is such a refuge 

of safety. 'The home is the basis of a righteous 

life and no other instrumentality can take its 

place or fulfil its essential functions'" 

-Thomas S. Monson 

------------------------

Our homes are the refuge we 

all need from the world. 

"Home

-to be at home is to find yourself 

with those who put your heart at ease."

A place of peace and safety. 

A place where we are accepted and loved. We don't have to be 

perfect parents. We just need to love our children and provide a

 safe place for them to learn and grow.

We just need to do the best we can.

 Hope you Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Family History Friday (FHF): Write A Book!

 Write a book.

You heard me right!

 If you don't want to write a whole book, one that gets bound and published, that's OKAY! You don't have to do that. You can just write your story in a book. I have several of these types of books at my home right now. They are super! If you don't feel like you're ready for that yet, but you have a loved one who you would like to know more, you can give one to them. In these books, they give you a question and you answer it. Sometimes we (or maybe those we leave behind) want to know something about a person long after the opportunity is still there to ask them. Sometimes we don't or can't think of questions. This is one way to leave a legacy of your feelings and experiences. Or find out how your family members feel about their life and experiences. Priceless!

My darlin's father is one of the many who has been dealing with the challenge of Alzheimer's. He's only 77 years old, and a lot of his memories are gone. Sad.

He has led a wonderful life, full of adventures and experiences that will not be shared, except by family members who were there with him.

One of these books has you answer just one question a day for a year. How easy is that? Anyone can do that! Others are more like a journal and you write as you have time. Write your memories down, and there won't be one person who is not thrilled that you did, including you. Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

Howzit! Elder Flexy!

ElderFlexy 1:2  -email-

hey this is so so awesome i love it here. i finally got my email working as you can see. but my pin # isn't working I'm not sure why anyway it would be good to know why its not working. anyway so i leave for Durban in a week scary huh i know its gonna be sick I'm SO exited so don't forget to give colter his letter and if you could send me his address and maybe Scott k that would be awesome. anyway so we just had about 8 missionaries leave for the Ogden Utah mission pretty sweet!!! and i found out there is a fifth missionary going to Durban with us. so my companion Elder Fisher is so cool he is from Utah!!! than we have Elder Thatcher from salt lake city. And Elder Brown he is way awesome. then Elder Huntsman is our district leader pretty cool kid. and lastly Elder Ray is the funniest kid ever he is very unique person. then the sisters first sister fox, then sister teerlink, then sister Phillips and sister megill. so hope your all doing good at home well my time is up...

Love, Elder (Flexy)

ElderFlexy 1:3 -letter-

"Hello! So this is the coolest thing ever. The spirit here is so strong. I honestly think the prophets spirits walk these grounds. This place is a miracle. Me and my companion Elder Fisher are getting to be such great teachers, it's awesome. The other elders in our building are really fun. There are five elders going to Durban and seven going to Johannesburg it's gonna be sweet. I'm so excited! We leave in 7 days!! The sisters in our district are going to temple square, so you could go see them maybe. The food is so yummee here and you can eat all you want. I think I've gained some weight, but I'm not sure. Love, Elder(Flexy)"

What a great dude! He is so happy and content with life. I'm glad he is doing so good. He leaves for South Africa in a week!  I may need some consoling that day. JK. I'll be just fine! 

My Dream Come True!

Happy 21st Birthday!!

My daughter Kelsey is 21 today!

She is such a fun daughter. When she was born, it was a dream come true! You can read about it here!

I give her alot of grief about what she should be doing in her life. When in all actuality she is amazing. She isn't perfect, but who is. Some of my favorite things about Kelsey are:

*good things come in small packages!

*she is very responsible and works hard

*I can always count on her to get the other kids where they need to be

*she loves the Lord and is a good example

*she is a "dream come true"!

I have had 21 years of loving and knowing a little girl/young woman in my life. Before she came into my life, there was only the dream of a little girl. Thank you Heavenly Father for such a sweetheart!

I love you Kelsey, and am very happy to be your Momma!

My Heroes!

Abraham Lincoln

is one of my heroes!

"A house divided against itself cannot stand."

----------

"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm."
----------

Gettysburg Address-- "that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

----------

2nd Inaugural address"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds.... "

----------

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

----------

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."

*************

He was diligent in his education, always reading and improving his knowledge. He was an honest man and was fair and just. He believed in God, and wasn't afraid to speak about Him. He had a quick wit as you can see from the last quote. I'm glad there are 
leaders like
Abraham Lincoln
to look up to and admire.  

24

Not 24 hours, but 24 years!

That's how long Riley has been alive! I was just thinking about the age of 24, and it hit me that I was 24 when I had Riley! wow!

Happy Birthday, my first born!

I'm very proud of you. I am so pleased you are serving our country. I am also grateful for the things you are learning that will help you be the best you can be.

I'm glad you were born!

Sunday Best!!

2 Nephi 31:19-20

19 And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. 20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope , and a love of God and of all men, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

------------------------

It is not enough to have found the way to a life focused on following Christ's teachings to the strait and narrow path. We must press forward, continuing to focus and follow Christ in all we do. When we make mistakes, we repent and get busy. We press forward with a steadfastness in Christ.
Steadfast means: fixed or steady,
firmly loyal or constant.
I once heard a teacher give an example of direction, by showing us a picture of a person on a set of stairs. Up the stairs is God and forever with Him. Down the stairs is hell. He said we are all at different places on the stairs. Some are higher up the stairway, maybe they have lived longer or they have spent more time learning about and living a life close to God and His teachings. What matters, and what is most important, is the direction we are facing. If we are facing upstairs toward God and we stay facing that direction, that is steady and loyal. If we are facing the wrong direction, we can turn around and start up the stairs. We are not stuck in the wrong direction. We need to have a hope that Jesus will help us along, He already paid the price for our sins. We can continue learning about Him in the scriptures, and see what else He can teach us. Then, endure to the end.
To endure means:
 to bear with patience, to remain firm.
The Father has promised us eternal life, with Him. What a wonderful thought. He is a loving Father, He is aware of us, He wants us back. All we have to do is be willing to come back to Him. I will keep myself facing up, on the stairway. Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Family History Friday (FHF): Where are they?

Part of

Family History

is

Family Present!

We all have loved ones! Some live near, some live far away. The challenge in this day and age is to stay connected, to talk to each other, about each other. Stay in touch! One really fun activity you can do as a family to keep your family aware and thinking about those you love is, to place little reminders around your home and yard.

I saw a wonderful project in the

 Family Fun

magazine you can find it here!

You could make one of these Family Signposts to put either in your yard or in your home. It doesn't have to be made exactly like the one Family Fun made. It's just a reminder of

your relatives far and wide. It would be fun to know which direction from your home, your relatives live and how far from your home they live. 

Next, you could write each of them a letter or email with a fun spotlight questionare,
like this one (I found it at ldsactivitydayideas.blogspot.com).

Howzit! Elder Flexy!

Well, we finally got a letter from our Elder!! I was really needing to hear from him! But I'm all better now. He has been gone for a week and a half. His letter wasn't very long, but he gave us the basic's.

He say's:

 "The spirit is so strong! The first day was way long, but I'm learning to like it. We have an elder in our resident hall that is 7 feet tall!!! Crazy huh? I'm learning how to preach God's word and it is amazing. My third day out, one of the teachers picked me and had me do a forty-five minute lesson with an elder. I didn't know it was intense, but we did great!! My companion is Elder Fisher. He is a bawler (Flexy says this alot, I think this means he's a really great guy), he always has the spirit and teaches well. My scriptures look like a rainbow, they're getting marked up so well. Our sisters are angels. They are definately our superiors. Anyway, better get studying! Love, Elder (Flexy)"

What a great letter! I can tell he's loving it and being busy is awesome. What a blessing to have our son serving.

Our Home!

We have lived in our wonderful home for 13 1/2 years. It is a great house with a great back yard. I have loved raising my family here. With that said, it is amazing how much work goes into this house. Some people remodel every other year like clockwork. I wish we could, but we usually are just trying to keep up with the maintenance of our home. Nevermind remodeling! One day, my hubby came up the stairs, sweat dripping off his brow, and said,"We live in the project." I laughed and laughed. What he meant was the whole thing is one big project. I've heard it said, that it takes a whole year to paint the Golden Gate Bridge. After a year they start all over. It is never done. That story made me feel a little better. I did a google search and found out, they don't paint it every year. It is in a constant state of maintenance, just like our house. They do have 17 ironworkers and 38 painters, who do the job. At our home, people keep leaving. Me and my darlin and the girls are all that's left. We will probably always live in the project.

Sunday Best!!

Doctrine and Covenants 78:19

And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

-------------------------

In Luke 17:12-19 Jesus heals the ten lepers. He heals all ten, but only one returns to say thank you. Jesus questions, "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?" Well, they got what they wanted and forgot how they got it. They might also be the type to blame God when things aren't going quite right. I really don't ever want to be like that. I know I'm not perfect and I do make mistakes, but I believe it is very important to be thankful.

Years ago I learned about receiving all things with thankfulness. I couldn't comprehend at the time, how a person could be thankful for something bad that happened to them. But since then, I have tried to acknowledge the blessings that have come to me, because of the hard things that I have been though in life. When I think about the pain, I realize it has made me more compassionate. When I think about how others treated me, I realize I am more conscientious about treating others right. I remember how it felt to be sad, because someone was unkind to me.  I am thankful for all things in my life, blessings and challenges.
 I am a better person for it.
Receive all things with thankfulness. And don't forget to say Thank you, when you have been blessed!
Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy 

Howzit! Elder Flexy!

Our darling Elder!

We dropped Alex off at the MTC this afternoon. We stopped for lunch on the way.

He was so excited!

I have done pretty good at not crying, two years is a long time! But, I only feel sad when I think about me. (So I won't think about me!)  I asked Alex if he was sad at all. He said "No, I'll be right back. I'm just going to be gone for a couple of minutes." It's true! Time flies! When I do think about him, I can't help but feel excited. He is going to have many great experiences that will bless his life. I also feel so happy for the people in South Africa, who will meet and know him. He is such a wonderful young man. With a heart of gold.

I looked up common phrases in South Africa, and "Howzit" is one of them it means: - A common greeting which can mean 'How are you?'. 'How are things?', 'What's up!' and so on!

I will keep you all posted as to how he is doing and what he tells us in his letters home. I'll call the posts: Howzit! Elder Flexy!

Sunday Best!!

Happy 4th of July!!

I feel such gratitude and appreciation for this free land of America. I am so grateful for those who sacrificed so much, sometimes everything, so we can now enjoy the things we so often take for granted. Our family has traveled to many significant  historical sites in American history, an experience I wish all Americans could have.

**********

I went on a field trip with my son Alex when he was in 4th grade to the Utah State Capital. One of the original copies of the "Declaration of Independance" was being displayed there and traveling the country. It was wonderful to see it. Another treat was to see the original painting by Arnold Friberg, "Prayer at Valley Forge". It was also on display at the capital. Wow! What a beautiful painting. As we came out of the room it was being displayed in, I saw a man talking to people. I said to my son's teacher, "I think that is Arnold Friberg!" So we went over to where he was, and just listened. It was him! He was explaining his feelings about the way George Washington's hands appear in the painting. He said that when he painted it, it was more traditional to paint the hands with the palms together and the hands flat. He wanted to help those viewing the painting to feel the urgency and need for help from God that George Washington must have felt. So he painted the hands clench with the fingers interlocked. It worked, I felt that urgency! I wanted to tell General Washington as I looked at the painting, "It will be okay!! What you're doing now, will work!We do become the land you dream of. Thank you for loving God and fighting for our freedom!"

***********

Well, Arnold Friberg died this last week. But what a gift he has given to all. You can read about him here!

Thank you Arnold Friberg! Thank you for your life of giving and your faith in God.
Hope your Sunday, July 4th 2010, was the best!!!
Love, Joy

Family History Friday (FHF): The Love Boat!

Long before there was ever a show called

"Love Boat",

 there was a real love boat. When my husbands ancestor left Norway to come to America she met and fell in love with her husband. They had a common goal, to come to Utah and join the members of their newly found religion. She married him on the William Tabscot. The ship that was bringing them to America. They were one of many couples who "tied the knot" on the ship. They continued their journey once here in America, across the plains. They ended up in the Bear Lake Valley. In a town called Montpelier, Idaho. They loved each other all their lives and were happy. Now that's a LOVE boat.

Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

Favorite TV/Movie Quotes! Napoleon Dynamite!

Napoleon Dynamite: Stay home and

eat all the freakin' chips, Kip.

Kip: Napoleon, you're just jealous because

 I've been chatting online with babes all day.

Besides, we both know that

I'm training to be a cage fighter.

Napoleon Dynamite: Since when, Kip?

You have the worst reflexes of all time.

Kip: Try and hit me, Napoleon.

Napoleon Dynamite: What?

Kip: I said come down here and see what

happens if you try and hit me.

Napoleon graps Kip around the neck.

Kip: Stop Napoleon! I think you're bruising my neck meat!!

---------------------------------------------------

"Gosh"-You should hear my teeny bopper quote this!!! 

FUNNY!

A classic!